Dental Medicine

“As you look ahead to dental school graduation day, it’s a good idea to look beyond graduation to what your post-education life will look like. Have you been thinking about what kind of practice you want to pursue? Have you thought about all the possibilities?

There are plenty of them, to suit every dentist’s preferences, goals and lifestyles. When thinking about your practice, think about how you want to live, what kind of practice interests you and the type of work environment you would like best.” (American Dental Education Association)

• Academic Dentistry and Dental Education Looking to mold the minds of the next generation of dental students? Or perhaps you enjoy writing? Consider pursuing a career in dental education or academics.
• Public Health Care Policy Looking to put your dental skills to good use, but not interested in direct patient care? Consider a career in public health care policy.
• Self-Employed in Private Practice Looking to become an entrepreneur, practicing dentistry on your own terms? Learn more about the benefits of being self employed in the private practice arena.

ADEA’s Dental School Explorer

• $25
• Updated each year
• View detailed statistics for US and Canadian dental schools

Centralized Application Services

• ADEA AADSAS (Associated American Dental Schools Application Service)
• TMDSAS (Texas Medical and Dental Application Services)

Personal Statement

• Dental Medicine (maximum length 4,500 characters)
  • Brainstorming: A well-crafted personal statement takes time. Begin by brainstorming ideas for your statement, thinking about what you would like to share with the admissions committees. Consult with mentors, friends and family on topics.
  • Outline: Look for themes within your list of brainstorm ideas. Choose a few points from your list that seem especially salient, and develop them into an outline of your essay.
  • Working Draft(s): Once you have written a draft, have people read it and give you honest feedback. Incorporate feedback and come back to it in a couple weeks and see if you still feel that it conveys the impression that you meant to give, and make necessary edits. Consider making an appointment with the Writing Center. Make sure that you have a developed draft on MAP, to review during your Application Readiness Meeting.
  • Resources:
    • PreHealth Personal Statement Workshop
    • “How to Write a Strong Statement of Purpose” by Shayna Joubert

Secondary Applications

• Secondary applications may be included within the primary application or sent directly to applicants by a school’s admissions office. In most cases, you will receive secondary applications after your primary application has been verified by the application service (4-6 weeks after submission).
• Schools have varying criteria for who they invite to submit a secondary application. Some schools will send them to every candidate who applies to their program. Others will send them only to applicants who meet their GPA and entrance exam score requirements. Some schools will select only candidates who they are very interested in for secondaries. Your application is not considered to be complete until you have submitted your secondary application.
• Secondary applications are designed by individual programs to learn more about applicants. It is important to realize that secondary applications are both labor intensive and expensive. They typically require answers to essay questions and a fee. Set aside time and money in preparation for writing your essays and paying for submission. Returning your secondary applications within a week or two of receipt demonstrates your continued interest in that program. Waiting longer may hurt your application.
• When you formulate your list of schools to which you plan to apply, take these secondary applications into account. Don’t apply to so many schools that you won’t have the time or money for secondary applications.

General Timeline

• January of year prior to matriculation – Begin Letter Packet process/Application Readiness Program (see below)
• May – ADEA AADSAS opens for editing
• June – ADEA AADSAS opens for submission
• Fall/early spring of year of matriculation – Interview invites/interviews
• December – First acceptances to dental programs (beginning 12/1)
• May – Last day to hold multiple deposits dental programs (5/5) & dental schools go to wait-lists for second round of accepts (beginning 5/6)
• Summer – Start dental program

The Dental Admissions Test (DAT) is the required entrance exam for Dental programs.

• The DAT is administered year-round at Prometric test centers in the U.S. and Canada. The DAT is comprised of multiple-choice test items consisting of a battery of four tests: 1. Survey of the Natural Sciences, 2. Perceptual Ability, 3. Reading Comprehension, and 4.Quantitative Reasoning.
• The DAT should be scheduled only after all science prerequisite courses are successfully completed and the applicant has had 4-6 months to study. If the resulting date would be later than June, then deferral to the next year is highly recommended. Applicants cannot sit for the exam any later than June and receive a committee letter that cycle.

Dental applicants can begin to prepare for their application cycle by participating in the PreMed and PreHealth Advising Application Readiness Program. This includes completing a Qualtrics Self-Assessment survey in MAP, which encourages applicants to reflect on academic and experiential preparation for their designated health profession program.

After applicants complete their self-assessment, they will be invited to set up an Application Readiness Meeting (ARM). This 45-minute meeting will allow the applicant to meet with their advisor to discuss their self-assessment and plan for the upcoming application cycle. This will also be a great time to ask questions about the ADEA AADSAS application, the DAT, and other elements of the application process.  

DENTAL APPLICATION READINESS Program TIMELINE*

January 31:  Self-Assessment survey due (accessible via MAP). (First Time Applicants ONLY)

May 1: Self-Assessment survey due (accessible via MAP). (Re-Applicants ONLY)

May 15: Deadline to complete required Application Readiness Meeting with your individual PreMed/PreHealth Advisor

*To be completed in your application year

Note: The Application Readiness Program is an included and required part of the Letter Packet process. Please refer to the PreMed/PreHealth Letter Process information below for additional Letter Packet deadlines and requirements.

LETTER PACKET Processes

A Letter Packet is a composite letter that includes full content of all required evaluator letters (requested via your Medical Applicant Portal) plus an institutional cover sheet from the PreMed and PreHealth Advising Program.

While do not restrict our Letter Packet service based on grades or exam scores, applicants and re-applicants* must meet all the deadlines and requirements below in order to be eligible to request a Letter Packet.

Students and alumni of the Northeastern University Pre-Medical Studies, Post-Baccalaureate Undergraduate Certificate program must complete the program, earning a minimum grade of C in all courses, by the conclusion of the Summer 1 semester of the application year to qualify for a Letter Packet.

If you graduated/completed your post-bacc pre-dental studies three or more years ago, it is recommended that you apply with individual letters of evaluation following the instructions in the common application for your profession, or the directions of the specific schools if they have a different application process. If you choose to send individual Letters of Evaluation, please do not request them through MAP.

Applicants who are accepted to a dental school and decline matriculation are not eligible for future Letter Packets. The PreMed and PreHealth Advising Program has a three-time limit for Letter Packets. The PreMed and PreHealth Advising Program cannot forward Letter Packets or individual letters submitted to MAP to any program other than what was designated on the original request. Thus, we are unable to send letters to medical masters or post-baccalaureate programs. Please contact your evaluators directly to request that letters be tailored to the program to which you are applying.

Requirements and Deadlines**

First Time Applicants

• January 31: Self-Assessment survey due (accessible via MAP).
• May 1: All required and optional letters of evaluation due in MAP.
• May 15: Deadline to complete required Application Readiness Meeting (ARM) with your individual PreMed/PreHealth Advisor
• June 30: Deadline to take DAT.
• June 30: Deadline to complete MAP & submit primary application.
• June 30: Deadline to request Letter Packet (only after all above requirements are met)

Re-Applicants*

• May 1: Self-Assessment survey due (accessible via MAP).
• May 1: All updated letters of evaluation due in MAP.
• May 15: Deadline to complete required Application Readiness Meeting (ARM) with your individual PreMed/PreHealth Advisor
• June 30: Deadline to retake DAT.
• June 30: Deadline to update MAP & submit primary application.
• June 30: Deadline to request Letter Packet (only after all above requirements are met)

*Re-applicants refers to Northeastern University students and alumni who have already completed the PreMed/PreHealth Letter Process for a previous cycle and are requesting a Letter Packet to re-apply to their programs.

**To be completed in your application year. Requirements and deadlines are subject to change. 

Required letters

The following letters of evaluation are required and must be requested through MAP to be eligible to request a Letter Packet.

3 Internal, Faculty Letters

• Internal letters must be from a graded course (at least 3-credit lecture or 1-credit lab). Evaluations can be requested from in-progress courses.
• Internal letters must be from Northeastern University faculty (current, former, or retired) at any of Northeastern’s global campuses.
  • Note: students and alumni of the Northeastern University Pre-Medical Studies, Post-Baccalaureate Undergraduate Certificate program have the option to substitute their third letter of evaluation from a faculty member at their undergraduate institution.
• Two of the three required internal letters must be from Biology, Chemistry, Math, or Physics (BCMP) faculty (current, former, or retired) OR from faculty instructors on the approved list of Internal Science Letters.
• One letter may be from any academic discipline, though we recommend a non-science letter.
• The Letter Packet has a THREE internal letter MAXIMUM. Do not request more than the required number of internal letters.

1 External, Clinical Letter

• This letter must come from a practitioner in the health profession to which you are applying (i.e., DMD or DDS).
• The letter must represent a college-level patient-facing experience (strongly recommended in-person) with a U.S. licensed dentist. The experience must be within the United States or, if abroad, with a State Department, US university/hospital sponsored, or recognized U.S. organization. Letters from family friends, even if they are dentists, are not encouraged. Letters from family members are prohibited.

2 External, Optional Letters

• Up to two additional external letters may be requested from supervisors, research PIs, clinicians, coaches, etc.
• Applicants may NOT use optional letter slots for additional internal academic letters unless there is a relationship with the faculty member outside of your academic coursework (i.e., research supervisor).

**It is the applicant’s responsibility to review individual school’s requirements, as requirements for letters of recommendation vary from school to school. 

Centralized Application Services

• ADEA AADSAS (Associated American Dental Schools Application Service): Quick Start Guide & FAQs
• TMDSAS (Texas Medical and Dental Application Services): Application Guide

NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY APPLICATION GUIDES

• 2025 Cycle Dental Application Guide (First Time Applicants)
• 2025 Cycle Re-Applicant Application Guide

• Explore Health Careers
• Occupational Outlook Handbook
• Go Dental
• American Student Dental Association
• American Dental Education Association
• ADA Dental Specialty Definitions